Typhoon Mujigae Kills 8 In South China, Leaves Dozens Missing

Typhoon Mujigae killed at least eight people in southern China, authorities said Monday. In this photo, dated Oct. 4, 2015, People try to remove a bough from a street as Typhoon Mujigae hit Maoming, Guangdong province. Photo: Reuters/Stringer

Typhoon Mujigae killed at least eight people in southern China since it made landfall in the country Sunday, officials said. The typhoon also left dozens of fishermen missing and prompted evacuation of about 200,000 people in the region.

Mujigae, which first hit southern Chinese province of Guangdong, barreled to the neighboring region of Guangxi Monday as the typhoon’s high wind speed were recorded at 54 kilometers (34 miles) per hour, the Associated Press (AP) reported. Officials in the autonomous region ordered 12,700 fishing boats and 35,400 offshore workers to return to port, according to AP.

The typhoon impelled powerful tornadoes in southern China sweeping up one car and killing a person inside, the civil affairs department of Guangdong reportedly said. Over 500 tourists were also stranded in Guangdong's Fangji island after high winds hampered their evacuations, China's Xinhua News Agency reported.

"The wind is very strong on the island, with heavy downpours," a hotel owner on the island said, according to Xinhua. "Local residents are still on the island, but tourists have been evacuated."

Meanwhile, several flights to and from Hainan’s provincial capital Haikou were cancelled. High-speed rail service between Haikou and the tourist center of Sanya was also suspended over the weekend.

Mujigae, the 22nd typhoon of the year, lashed northern Philippines early Saturday, causing floods and landslides. The typhoon killed two people in the country and left about 200 fishermen missing, Mike Sabado, spokesman for the Office of Civil Defense, told AP.